Passive house

The concept was first developed in Germany at the beginning of the nineties, with the first buildings to meet the Passive House standard being built in 1991, also in Germany. At Blue Sky Windows, we strive to achieve the best possible quality and energy efficiency, so it’s fitting that we source our high quality components from Germany, the birthplace of Passive House (or Passivhaus).

When speaking of ‘Passive House’, we refer to a very high standard of energy efficiency awarded to a dwelling or building, whereby the carbon footprint, or affect on the environment, is extremely low. Developed countries set their own standard requirements for a building to be classed as a Passive House, but the overall outcome is a building that requires very little energy to heat or cool its space. The concept is relatively new, and the number of buildings meeting the Passive House standard is constantly on the rise.

The central means of achieving such a standard are typically reached primarily through the reduction of a buildings loss of internal heat. The requirements set a standard for air leakage that must not exceed more than 0.6 x the building’s volume on an hourly basis at 50 pa. Achieving such standards can be possible through the installation of high quality insulation in the form of new uPVC doors and windows.

On average, a Passive House uses just 10% of the total energy that would be consumed by a typical dwelling in Europe, a saving of potentially 90%. These occupancies need less than 15 kWh/(m²yr) for the heating and cooling of the property.

In achieving the build of a structure that meets the requirements of the passive house standard, concern must be given to the compactness of the structure, the quality and efficiency of the insulation used, the avoidance of any thermal bridges through which heat may escape, and geometry and zoning.

Any necessary central heating should be driven by renewable energy sources, such as solar energy or heat pumps. Use of any conventional energy sources, the kind used by regular homes, is not permitted to exceed 120 kWh/(m²a) under the Passive House standard. The ideal end goal of a house meeting the Passive House standard is to achieve a comfortable temperature without any household expenditure on energy for heating purposes. The dwelling should achieve this optimal temperature through the occupancy of the home and use of internal appliances.

Although the concept may be daunting if you have never before considered the energy efficiency of your home, you can still make more basic changes that will greatly improve the insulation capacity of your home and improve its energy efficiency. Immediate benefits can be seen simply through the installation of new windows and doors, and Blue Sky Windows can help you to explore your options.

Reduce heat loss 97%

Reduce the cost of housing 67%

The cost of heating homes 10%

It does not require heating in the cold season

Saving money for housing

Energy independence